Personal

By Anonymous, McDonough, GA

Image Credit: Amanda T., Scituate, MA

When people think of a hero, most people think of Super Man or Mr. Incredible. But, mine happens to be a little different. My hero is a singer, and her music has gotten me through more than you will ever know, her name is Demi Lovato. It seems like just yesterday that I was waking up and reading that Demi Lovato had gone into a treatment center. I remember hearing the rumors, the different stories, no one knew what had happened; I remember feeling sick to my stomach, another Disney starlet had gone wild. Demi had seemed so happy though, her career was starting to take off; she had just released her new movie Camp Rock 2, and was already on a world tour with the Jonas Brothers. I remember seeing her perform, hearing her sing, her smiled seemed so genuine. No one knew anything was wrong because it didn’t seem that way, no one knew she was going through anything traumatic. In the past she had spoken about bullying and how she was bullied when she was younger, but it's what she kept hidden behind camera that drained her physically and mentally. Throughout the three months she was in treatment I realized how just strong she was; watching her get help and admitting she needed it influenced me and still influences me. After the three months in treatment I remember just how happy I was to finally see her happy and healthy and walk out of there with confidence. Her first interview about why she was in treatment was on 20/20 with Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts. Hearing the story from Demi herself and watching her talk about something so personal was something I will never forget. I could feel the pain she had gone through, just how raw the emotions were gave me goosebumps to watch. "It was a way of expressing my own shame, of myself, on my own body," she told Roberts. "I was matching the inside to the outside. And there were some times where my emotions were just so built up, I didn't know what to do. The only way that I could get instant gratification was through an immediate release on myself." As she spoke those words tears overcame me. Her words had impacted me, and I knew her goal was to help as many people out there who were going through the same thing she had gone through. I told myself, after seeing what she had been through and coming out stronger, that if she could go through the struggles and pain and still stay strong, so can I. A few months later Demi came out with her first single, from her newest album. The song was called “Skyscraper." I could feel every aspect of pain she was experiencing at the time that she wrote that song. I knew what that song meant to her because it meant the same to me. I will always look up to Demi Lovato. She has always reassured that I can handle whatever life throws at me, because she was strong enough to do the same. She made it through the most difficult time in her life and came out a stronger and better person. She will always be my hero because of that.

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